Trying To Escape
by LovingHimWasRed3
Summary: Tessa Gray is a new student at the Institute. There, she meets two boys-Will Herondale and Jem Carstairs- who take a liking to her immediately. All Tessa wants is to start off fresh, away from her past and the ghosts that haunt her. But can she keep all her secrets when her new friends become like her family, and when one jealous girl will stop at nothing to see her burn?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Summary:

Tessa Gray is a new student at the Institute, a prestigious boarding school in London. There, she meets two boys-Will Herondale and Jem Carstairs- who take a liking into her immediately. All Tessa wants is to start out fresh, away from her past and the ghosts that haunt her. But how is she supposed to keep all her secrets when her new friends become like her family, and when one jealous girl will stop at nothing to see her burn? And worst of all, when one of the ghosts of her past is back in her life. Can Tessa's new friends help her escape her past, or will her past burn her down?

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. They belong to Cassandra Clare.

Tessa stood in front of the enormous building known as the Institute. It was an extremely well known rich kid's boarding school in London.

What was _she_ doing there?

She just so happened to be one of those rich kids.

As she walked through the entrance, she couldn't help but glance around in awe. Sure, she used to go to a boarding school in New York, but this was nothing like that. The Institute was so much bigger and the architecture was stunning.

Tessa made her way to the main office. She noticed a red headed woman speaking to a younger girl with long black hair.

The red headed woman seemed to acknowledge her presence. "Oh, you must be Theresa Gray," she said. "I'm Mrs. Branwell, the headmistress of the Institute."

"Um, yeah that's me. But you can call me Tessa," Tessa replied.

Mrs. Branwell smiled softly. "Well, Tessa, this is Cecily Herondale. She's your dorm mate. And your entire luggage is already at your room. I hope you like it here."

"Thanks."

The girl who was standing next to Mrs. Branwell had long black hair and deep blue eyes and she was a little shorter than Tessa. She was actually really pretty. "Nice to meet you Tessa," she said.

"You too."

Then Cecily led Tessa to their room while explaining about the Institute.

"So the lift," she explained as they entered the elevator (or _lift_) , "takes you to the girl's dormitory and the boy's. I'd suggest not to go to the boy's dorms unless you're planning on having detention with Mr. Lightwood for the rest of the- are you even listening?"

"Yeah, yeah. Boy's dorm: bad. Got it," Tessa answered. "So when do we get to go to the library?"

Cecily chuckled. "Oh you like to read? You'll get along great with my brother."

She stopped in front of a door which read 312. "And this is our room," she said while opening the door.

The room was really large with two queen sized beds, two large closets, a bathroom, two work desks, and a two seat couch. Tessa's baggage was already sitting on her bed, waiting to be unpacked.

"I like it," Tessa said, as she started unpacking

"Yeah it's nice," Cecily agreed. "So your uniform is in your wardrobe and I've left your schedule on your desk."

In about an hour, all of Tessa's books were on the shelf and the desk and all her clothes were hanging in her closet. Her makeup was in the bathroom and her old pictures sat on the desk and hung on the walls. Tessa didn't know why brought pictures of her family and friends with her. It was the exact past she was trying to escape.

"You've got a lot of nice clothes for a book lover," Cecily pointed out.

Tessa shrugged. "Yeah, my aunt was big on the whole idea of 'it doesn't matter how you feel, it only matters how you look'. Well, before she died anyway."

Cecily looked shocked. "Wow, I'm sorry."

Tessa swallowed then shook her head. "Don't be."

Cecily was about to add something when the door flew open.

"Oh, hey Cecy," a tall good looking boy with brown hair said. He then noticed Tessa. "Hi. I'm Gabriel."

Tessa was thankful she didn't have to talk about her aunt any more. It was kind of a touchy subject.

"Tessa," she replied while shaking his hand.

"Well, we were just about to grab lunch. You should come," Gabriel said.

Tessa agreed. She noticed Gabriel and Cecily glancing at each other on the way to the cafeteria, thinking that Tessa wouldn't notice. Tessa got the feeling they were a bit more of friends than they were letting on.

When they arrived at the cafeteria, the whole room fell into an awkward silence. All heads turned to look at them.

As Gabriel and Cecily led Tessa to their table, Tessa muttered, "Why are they staring?"

"Probably because you're hot," Gabriel replied quietly.

Tessa shot him weird look and Cecily nudged him. "That, and we don't get new students often," she added.

They made their way to a table where three others were seated.

"Guys, this is Tessa," Cecily introduced. "Tessa, this is Sophie, Gideon, and Jem."

"Hi," Tessa waved awkwardly.

"Nice meeting you, Tessa," Jem said kindly.

Cecily frowned. "Wait, where's Will?"

"Probably with that bitch he calls a girlfriend," Gabriel said disgustedly.

"I thought they broke up," Gideon asked.

"They got back together," Sophie said. "It's an on again off again relationship." She explained to Tessa, who was still new to all this.

"Why don't we start eating?" Jem suggested. "Will can join us whenever he feels like it."

They all stood up and walked over to the line. "So you're from America?" Jem asked curiously.

Tessa nodded. "New York."

"I've been there once. It's really nice," Jem said. "Do you miss it?"

Tessa hesitated before answering, "No, not really."

Jem looked at her strangely with his silver eyes, as if he knew she was hiding something. Tessa quickly got a ham and cheese sandwich before joining the others back at the table.

They were all having a nice conversation about their summers. Tessa laughed at a comment Jem made before a handsome boy with dark hair and Cecily's blue eyes sat at their table.

"So how's Jessamine doing?" Gabriel asked with a sneer on his face.

"She's fine. Thank you for asking about her welfare, Gabriel Light_worm_," the boy responded with a smirk on his face.

Gabriel scowled at him.

"So," Cecily intervened, "Have you met Tessa?"

Tessa turned as soon as she heard her name.

The boy noticed Tessa and smirked. "No. I'm Will."

"Tessa," she replied, "Nice to meet you."

"You're American," Will said as if that explained everything.

"You don't say," Tessa replied sarcastically.

Jem chuckled while Will just grinned. "That reminds me," Cecily started, "You never explained why you moved here. We don't get many American students."

Tessa tensed. "I just wanted a change," she lied. "My old school was kind of boring." That was a huge lie. If anything, her old school was the exact opposite.

The school was built around drama and Tessa happened to be the center of it more than just once.

If anyone could tell she was lying, they didn't call her out. Tessa was thankful for it.

"Well, then you've come to the right place," Will gloated. "The Institute is extremely interesting, and not just because I go here."

"Just when I thought his ego couldn't get anymore bigger," Gabriel muttered.

Tessa heard his comment and stifled a giggle, but not before Will glared at both of them.

"So, Tessa, what do you do for fun?" Sophie asked.

"She loves to read," Cecily answered for Tessa.

That caught Will's attention. "What do you like to read?"

"Anything from classics to fantasy novels, I guess," Tessa said while taking a sip of water.

Will smiled. "Well, then we're going to get along just fine."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

That night, Tessa tossed and turned in her bed. She hadn't been able to sleep for a while now. Her nightmares were catching up to her.

She walked over to the bathroom where she splashed cold water on her face. When she walked out, she heard the door opening followed by quiet whispers. Tessa crept in the shadows as she tried to see the faces of the people that had just entered the room.

It was Cecily. And Gabriel. For some reason, Tessa was not as surprised as she thought she'd be.

"You need to leave now," Cecily whispered. "Tessa might wake up."

"Alright, fine," Gabriel replied reluctantly. "I'll see you tomorrow morning?"

Cecily nodded then kissed him quickly and quietly.

After Gabriel left the room, Tessa leaned against the wall with an amused smile on her face.

Cecily didn't seem to notice her so she cleared her throat. "Well," Tessa spoke, "Seems like you had a nice night."

Cecily looked startled. "Tessa. I didn't see you there."

Tessa smiled and walked back to her bed. "You can't tell anyone," she heard Cecily say.

Tessa turned to her. "I never said I would."

Cecily seemed to relax a bit. Then Tessa added, "But I never said I wouldn't either."

"Please," Cecily pleaded. "Don't tell Will. He wouldn't understand."

Tessa sighed and shut her eyes. "Go to bed, Cecy."

* * *

When Tessa woke up the next morning, it was 5:30 am, and she was covered in ice cold water. She then noticed Cecily carrying a large bucket.

"What the hell was that for?!" Tessa screamed.

"I couldn't get you to wake up," Cecily answered calmly. "You're a deep sleeper."

Tessa frustratedly got up then showered in the bathroom and brushed her teeth. She changed into her uniform: a white shirt, a black tie, and a short black plaid skirt. The skirt wasn't even that short but Tessa felt bare and uncomfortable. It was hard to believe that a few months ago, Tessa would've been fine with wearing shorts, skirts, and dresses that were a lot shorter than her uniform skirt.

She quickly did her hair and some light makeup and exited the bathroom where Cecily was waiting for her, already dressed for the day.

Tessa found her gray and white sparkly cardigan and put it on along with a pair of black high boots. She kind of liked to add her own touches to her uniform.

As Tessa picked up her school bag, she asked Cecily, "You're wondering if I'm going to say anything about last night?"

Cecily silently nodded. She looked a bit nervous for Tessa's answer.

"Alright," Tessa finally spoke. "I won't say anything. It's not really any of my business anyway."

Cecily looked relieved. Just then the door flew open.

"Seriously?!" Tessa cried. "Whatever happened to knocking?"

"Sorry," Will said. "Knocking is not in my dictionary."

"I'm not surprised," Tessa muttered. "I thought you said that boys and girls aren't allowed in each other's dorms," she told Cecily.

"They aren't," Cecily responded. "Not like Will cares, though."

Will grinned. "Well, I'm here to take you all to breakfast so I need you to hurry up."

Tessa followed him out the door when he stopped and turned to Cecily. "Are you going to join us?"

Cecily looked around before answering. "You two go on ahead. It's just that- I've got cramps and stuff."

Will seemed to have gotten the idea and so he led Tessa to the cafeteria. Tessa would never admit it out loud, but Will looked pretty handsome in his uniform. She looked away before Will could catch her staring.

At the cafeteria, Will asked her if she preferred pancakes or waffles.

"Pancakes," Tessa said. "With maple syrup."

Will grinned. "I'll admit you have good taste."

He handed her a tray of pancakes when a short blonde girl stalked up to them. Tessa was annoyed because she was ridiculously pretty.

"Why haven't you called me back?" she demanded.

Will sighed and rolled his eyes. "I don't need to call you every half hour, Jessamine."

So this was Jessamine, Tessa thought. Right then, Jessamine seemed to notice Tessa. "Who's she?"

"This is Tessa," Will answered. "She's new."

"What've you been doing with her?" Jessamine demanded.

Tessa stared at her, shocked at how straightforward Jessamine was being. "Nothing," she answered quickly. "He was just showing me to breakfast."

Jessamine scowled at her. "I wasn't talking to you."

Will looked like he'd had enough. "Jessie, we need to talk." He looked at Tessa.

Tessa got the message: He wanted some privacy.

So Tessa ate breakfast with everyone else.

* * *

During Tessa's English period, she couldn't concentrate. Jessamine was glaring daggers at her back and she had no clue as to why.

To make matters worse, Will had insisted on her sitting next to him, claiming that she didn't know anyone else.

"-so I want everyone to write about guilt," said Mr. Mortmain. "Write about anything you feel guilty about or anything you regret. It can be a line or a whole page. I just want everyone to get into the habit of writing."

Five minutes later, everyone in the class had started writing. But Tessa couldn't so much as pick up her pencil.

"No ideas, Tessa?"

Tessa looked up to Mr. Mortmain. "No. The problem is I've got too many ideas."

She heard Will chuckle lightly beside her. Mr. Mortmain just grinned at her. "Just pick one thing."

Tessa hesitated before asking, "What if it's kind of, I don't know, personal?"

"Don't worry. No one else will be reading it. It's just practice."

After hearing those reassuring words, Tessa lifted her pencil shakily, and began to write the one thing that's been on her mind: _Jace_.

* * *

Will was sitting at their regular table during lunch. Everyone had begun entering the cafeteria so he was prepared to hear all the stupid gossip.

"_Will and Jessamine broke up?"_

"_I hear it was because of the new girl."_

"_They'll be back together by tomorrow."_

Tessa dropped her lunch tray across from him and sat down. "Is it true?" she asked, sounding worried.

Her gray eyes were so easy to get lost into, Will thought. And she was no doubt gorgeous.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "What?" he questioned, playing dumb.

"You and Jessamine broke up," she added, "Because of me."

"No. No," Will said. "That's not why we broke up. She was getting too clingy and territorial for my liking."

"So she doesn't think anything happened between us this morning?"

"No. No, of course not," Will replied. Will wondered why Tessa thought that. Was he really that bad, or something?

Tessa seemed to relax a little. "It's just that she was giving me death glares during the entire English period."

Will laughed. "I wouldn't feel intimidated by Jessamine. She's basically harmless."

"Speaking of English," Will started, "What did you write about?"

Will noticed Tessa's posture stiffen all of a sudden. "Nothing."

Will looked at her funny. "What? You're not going to tell me?"

"No," she said while sipping from her water bottle. "Why would I? I just met you. You could be an axe murderer for all I know."

Will smirked. "But I'd be the most handsome axe murderer you'll ever meet."

Tessa rolled her eyes and said, "If it helps you sleep at night."

* * *

Tessa was sitting on her bed, writing in her journal for English class. She didn't want to write anything at first. But as soon as she'd started, she couldn't stop. She hadn't spoken to anyone about it for so long so it felt great to get this off her chest.

She wrote about her life before she moved to London; her friends and family. And the reason why she left in the first place.

Cecily had just walked through the door. "What are you doing?"

"English work," Tessa replied.

"Oh," Cecily seemed to remember something. "I ran into Jem earlier. He said something about maths and the library?"

"Right," Tessa said. "He was supposed to help me with some work."

Tessa shoved her journal under her copy of A Tale of Two Cities on her nightstand. She grabbed her bag and was on her way out the door when Cecily called, "Look at you. You just showed up here yesterday and you already have a date."

Tessa looked at her weird. "It's not a date. It's more of a tutoring session."

"Whatever," Cecily said. "My point is that you've caught the attention of two of the most popular and untouchable boys in the Institute."

"Untouchable?"

"Yeah. Jem never dates. Maybe because he's never found someone he's in to, maybe not. And Will is usually playing around with girls. He's been like that ever since last year. He's sort of been with Jessamine a while but he's never actually liked her. He's not one for a serious relationship. I'm his sister, I'd know."

"Oh," Tessa said. For some reason, she felt rather upset about the last part Cecily said. "What makes you think they're in to me?"

Cecily laughed playfully. "After you and Sophie left after lunch, Will wouldn't stop rambling on about how pretty and amazing you are. Jem too."

Tessa blushed and Cecily laughed again. "I'll see you later," Tessa said quickly before leaving.

* * *

Sophie was roaming through the aisles in the Institute's library. She had a biology research paper to write and she'd thought that the sooner she started, the sooner she finished.

As she walked by an aisle, she heard loud voices and laughter. Sophie felt tempted to shout at them. This a library, for crying out loud, she thought.

She heard the same voices again and so she turned to yell at the people when she realized who they were.

Tessa and Jem. They were laughing and smiling at each other.

Sophie felt a pang of jealousy in her stomach. She'd always wanted to make Jem laugh like that. And it seemed so easy for Tessa.

Most girls would notice Will because he was so handsome, but Sophie always thought that Jem was ten times more handsome, with his silver hair and kind eyes and smile.

Boys usually never paid attention to Sophie. They'd take one look at the scar on the side of her face and that was it. Jem was different, though. He's always been nothing but kind to everyone.

Sophie knew Jem would never feel the same way about her but she'd let herself hope because sometimes, that's all there's left to do.

* * *

Will was roaming around the corridors when he collided with the person he least wanted to see at that time.

"Will," said Jessamine, "I'm so glad I ran in to you."

Will rolled his eyes. "The feeling isn't mutual."

"Can we just talk?" she pleaded.

Will stopped in his tracks. "We just did."

"You know what I mean."

"Jessamine," he started. "It's done. We're over. What is there left to say?"

"Please-please don't do this." Jessamine looked as though she was about to cry. Will hated making girls cry; it was the worst part of break ups.

Will sighed. "I don't feel anything for you, Jessie. I never have and I never will."

"Is this because of the new girl?"

"No. Why would you say that?" Will asked. "I only just met her anyway."

Jessamine shook her head. "Maybe. But I see the way you look at her. It's the way I thought you looked at me."

"I have no idea-"

"You don't know anything about her," she said, now desperately. "She's not who she says she-"

Will glared at her. "I know enough. You don't know anything about her. You have absolutely no right to talk about her like that."

Will angrily walked away from Jessamine. The nerve she had, Will thought. What gave her the right to say any of that.

"Fine!" Jessamine sobbed. "Then ask her!"

Will spun around to look at her. "Ask her about Jace," she said quietly.

* * *

Will continued to wander around the halls, thinking about what Jessamine said when he found himself standing in front of Cecily and Tessa's room.

Before he could even touch the door knob, he heard yelling from the other side of the door.

"You read my journal! How could you?!" Tessa screamed.

"I didn't even touch your journal!" Cecily cried.

"Hey!" Will tried to break up the argument. "Hey! What is going on?"

Tessa acknowledged him then glared at Cecily. "Why don't you ask her?"

Cecily stared at Tessa disbelievingly. "I didn't do it, read her journal I mean." Cecily looked at Will pleadingly with her glassy blue eyes. "I swear," she whispered.

"Tessa," Will started, "What makes you think Cecily read it?"

"I left it right here under my copy of A Tale of Two Cities on my nightstand. When I got back from studying with Jem, it wasn't there anymore," Tessa said.

"Maybe you just forgot where-"

"No!" Tessa shouted. It was the angriest and scared Will had seen her so far. "No. I remember exactly where I left it. So unless there are ghosts lurking around here reading other people's personal-"

"Tessa, please," Cecily pleaded. "Listen to me. I didn't read your journal. I didn't go anywhere near it. Will, help me out here."

"Tess, just listen-"

Tessa looked horrified. "No. No. Don't call me that."

Will felt hurt but tried not to show it. Had he done something to offend her?

"Tessa, I know my sister," said Will. "When she says she didn't do it, she didn't do it. She doesn't lie or keep secrets."

Tessa laughed a cold laugh. "Well, maybe you don't know her well enough."

Cecily looked at Tessa pleadingly. She shook her head at her slowly.

Will was confused and felt a little angry at Tessa. He frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Tessa seemed to realize what she had just said. Her cold smile melted off her face. "Nothing."

And with that, she fled the room with her journal in her hand.

Will turned to his sister. "What was she talking about?"

Cecily shook her head. "I don't know," she answered finally. "You believe me, right? I swear I didn't read it."

Will nodded. "Yeah, I believe you."

"It's getting late. Do you think she'll be back soon?" Cecily asked worriedly. Cecily was strange like that. Tessa was screaming at her not even two minutes ago, but Cecily was already worrying about her.

"I don't know. I think she just needs some time to herself for now."

* * *

Thank you to everyone who left reviews for the last chapter. I appreciate it.

I'm trying to update more often but with school, it's a bit challenging.

So that's a wrap for the second chapter. Please review, favourite, and follow.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The next two school weeks had gone by in a blur. Tessa had continued hanging out with everyone, while covertly avoiding both Cecily and Will as much as possible. But that didn't stop Cecily and Will from talking to her.

Cecily had kept telling her she had nothing to with her journal. Tessa wasn't sure whether to believe her or not. She was pretty sure she was over it though. And Will was being his normal self by annoying her as much as he could by asking if she was OK. That didn't mean she didn't appreciate it.

On Saturday morning, Tessa changed into a pair of bright blue skinny jeans, a gray top, and high tan boots. She put her hair in a messy bun before walking out of the room. She didn't realize that Cecily wasn't even in bed.

The weather outside was pleasant for London. It wasn't raining for a change and the sun was beaming.

She found herself sitting on the bleachers of the school's huge football (or _American football_) field. The sunlight shone in her face and she squinted at it's brightness.

She watched as the cheerleaders practiced their routines and remembered the time when she used to be one of them. The more she thought about it, the more she missed it.

Tessa dialed a number into her phone. She listened to the ringing for a few minutes until someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi," Tessa was relieved to hear her brother's voice. "Nate."

"Tessa? It's early," Nate said. "What are you doing up?"

"I needed to talk to you," she said. "How are you?"

Nate chuckled. "Other than the fact that I'm in place where I get only three meals a day, I'm swell. You?"

Tessa sighed. "I'm OK."

"How's school? Your friends? Clary and Jace?"

"They're fine," Tessa's voice cracked.

"Tessie? Are you alright?" Nate sounded worried.

"Of course," she lied. "I'm good." Tessa may be a convincing liar, but Nate could always tell her lies and truths apart. She only hoped he wouldn't call her out on this one.

Nate didn't say anything for a minute but when he finally spoke, Tessa wished he hadn't. "You should go Tessa. I know I haven't been the best older brother since-" he broke off, "Sam. But stop worrying so much about me. I did the crime, now I have to do the time."

Tessa was desperate now. "Nate-"

"Bye Tessie," he said and then he hung up.

"I miss you," Tessa whispered. Then she covered her face with her hands, trying to keep herself from breaking down.

"Tessa?"

She spun around to see Will standing behind her. He looked worried. Tessa wiped her eyes hastily before Will could notice.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She sniffled. "I'm fine," Tessa said and plastered on a fake smile.

Will shook his head. "No. You're not."

He sat down next to her, as if he was trying to read her facial expressions. She really hoped he couldn't.

After a while, he broke the silence. "Who's Nate?"

"He's no one," Tessa replied quickly. "It's nothing."

Will sighed as if he didn't buy her lie. "Fine," he said. "Everyone's waiting for you in the common room. We always hang out on Saturday night together and we need to plan something for tonight."

Tessa appreciated that everyone was trying to include her in their plans, but she kind of wished they wouldn't at the same time.

"Alright."

* * *

Sophie and the others were waiting in the common room for Will and Tessa.

"I wonder what's taking them so long?" Gabriel asked.

Just then Will entered the room followed by Tessa.

Everyone stared worriedly at Tessa. Her brown hair was a mess, her eyes were red as if she'd been crying, and she looked like she hadn't had a nice sleep in days.

Sophie noticed when Jem shot Will a questioning glance. Will shook his head at him and the others as if to say _Not now._

"So, what should we do tonight?" Cecily asked, interrupting the silence.

"The movie theatre?" Gideon suggested.

"Nah, not in the mood for a movie," Gabriel said. "What about that new club?"

"Pandemonium?" Sophie asked.

Gabriel nodded and smiled. "I hear that place is crazy."

"Sounds good to me," Cecily said. "Any objections?"

"You guys go on ahead," Tessa spoke, "I think I'll just stay behind."

"Well, it's no fun unless everyone goes," Will said.

Tessa shook her head. "I don't know. It's not really my thing." Sophie looked at her questioningly because she remembered Tessa telling her that she used to party at clubs all the time in New York.

"She doesn't have to go if she doesn't want to," said Jem. Sophie felt a little jealous again. She wished that Jem would stand up for her like that. And she hated herself for feeling that way.

Gideon looked at her as if to say, _are you OK_?

Sophie gave him a small nod.

"Come on, Tessa," Gabriel urged. "It'll be fun."

Tessa's eyes flickered over to Will's before she said, "Fine. I'm in."

Everyone started to cheer. "Guys," Tessa said with an amused smile on her face. "Calm down. It's not like we won the lottery or something."

They all laughed at her. "I'm gonna go then," Tessa said before leaving. Sophie noticed Will watching her leave.

"What happened?" Sophie asked Will.

"Did you say something to her?" Gabriel questioned. "You better not be messing with her because she's actually pretty cool."

Will shot him a cold glare. "I wouldn't do that to her."

Sophie was surprised. It sounded like Will actually meant it. She was never too fond of him and his ways with girls but she felt as if this was one of those rare moments where Will would let his true feelings show.

"Honestly, I don't know," Will answered. "I found her sitting on the bleachers, she'd just gotten off the phone, and she was crying."

"Who was she talking to?" Cecily asked.

Will shrugged. "Someone named Nate. They seemed pretty close. Maybe an ex-boyf-"

"No." Sophie shook her head. "Not an ex."

Will seemed to be relieved. Sophie wondered what that was about. "Then who?"

"Her brother," Sophie said quietly.

"Her brother?" Gabriel echoed.

"I didn't know she had a brother," Cecily said.

"How do you know this?" Jem asked curiously.

Sophie shrugged. "We were just playing a game of twenty questions. I asked if she had any siblings. She tensed all of a sudden and said she has an older brother named Nate, and I understood it was a touchy subject so I left it alone."

"It must be pretty serious if she was crying," Gideon pointed out.

"I don't think anyone should be asking her about it. Or her family," Sophie said.

"Why?" Will asked as if he actually wanted to know.

Sophie sighed. "We've become close this past week. I've learned some things."

"What kind of things?"

"Her parents," Sophie started with a shaky breath, "They're gone."

"Gone as in..."

_Dead_. They all looked at each other. Everyone was thinking it but no one said it out loud.

"Oh my gosh," Cecily said, her eyes getting watery. "That's awful. She told me that her aunt died too."

"So she's been living alone before she moved here?" Jem asked.

Cecily shook her head. "She's been going to boarding school for basically her whole life."

"We need to be careful of what we say around her," Sophie said. "I'm worried about her. She hates showing weakness. She has this whole tough exterior but in reality, she's not really like that."

"She's really brave to go on like that," Cecily said quietly, not meeting anyone's eyes. "Pretending as if everything's okay."

"But she needs to know that it's alright to show a little weakness sometimes," Jem said. "That she doesn't need to be so strong all the time."

"Do you think that's what she wrote about, Cecy?" Will asked all of a sudden.

Sophie had no idea what he was talking about but Cecily seemed to have understood.

"Probably," Cecily said. "After Jessamine and I were finished working on our assignment, she came back to our room and we had this whole heated argument. She really didn't want anyone to find out about whatever she wrote."

Will stood up. "But I bet someone did."

"What do you mean? Where are you going?!"

Will rushed towards the door. When he turned around, Sophie saw a dark look in his eyes.

"I think it's time I paid dear Jessamine a little visit."

* * *

Will found Jessamine outside the girl's locker room, surrounded by her two minions: Tatiana Lightwood and Camille Belcourt.

"Jessamine!" Will yelled.

Jessamine turned to look at him with a smile on her face. "Will."

"We need to talk," Will demanded. He glared at her minions. "Alone. Scram."

After Tatiana and Camille were out of sight, Jessamine spoke, "So I take it you want to get back-"

"No, I don't want to get back together," Will stated frustrated.

Jessamine's smile melted off her face. "Then why-"

"Why did you read Tessa's journal?"

Jessamine regained her composure. "I don't know what you're talking-"

"Save it," said Will. "Look, you had no right-"

"I don't trust her, Will!" Jessamine cried. "And I was right to. There's so much you don't know about her-"

"Shut up!" Will shouted. "This is why we broke up, Jessamine. You feel threatened by every single girl I talk to. You think everyone is competition and that you need to take them out. Well guess what, life isn't like that!"

Jessamine stood speechless. "Look," she started, "I'm sorry if I wasn't what you wanted me to be, but I'm right about this! She hasn't told you about her old life, and she won't because she knows you'll never speak to her again if you knew."

Will angrily shook his head. "I already know everything I need to know about her. Stay away from her. And stay away from me."

* * *

Tessa studied her reflection in the mirror. She wore a short black dress with five inch heels. And Cecily had insisted on doing her hair and makeup.

"It's too short," Tessa complained, while attempting to pull down her dress.

Cecily glanced at her. "It's fine. It's longer than mine anyway."

"That doesn't make it okay."

"Relax. What matters is that you look hot," Cecily said. "Guys will swoon when they see you."

"That's not what I want," Tessa muttered.

Cecily seemed to be studying her. "Are you going to keep that necklace on?"

Tessa's hand immediately moved to her necklace. It was an angel carrying a sword. "Yeah," Tessa smiled slightly. "It was my mom's."

Cecily's eyes widened then she smiled genuinely. "It's beautiful."

The sound of knocking interrupted them. Cecily had went back to doing her own hair and didn't seem to hear it. "Sure, I'll get it," said Tessa to no one in particular.

She swung open the door only to reveal Will and Jem.

Will's eyes travelled up and down Tessa's body before he smirked. "You look great, Tessa."

"Yeah, you don't look too bad yourself," said Tessa. "Hey Jem."

Jem smiled. "Hi."

Tessa looked behind her. "Well, I'm ready to go. I don't know about your sister."

"Cecy! Hurry up!" Will called.

"You guys can go! I'll catch up in a minute!"

Will looked unsure but then he said, "Alright. After you, Tessa."

* * *

The Pandemonium Club was loud and hectic, especially on Saturday night. Everyone from the Institute had shown up. It was like the whole club was reserved for the students.

Will was going around drinking and dancing with everyone. He wasn't drunk, though. He wasn't one to get wasted. He just let everyone think that he was.

He spotted a certain tall brunette in a short black dress dancing with some stranger. Instantly, he made his way to her.

"Tessa!"

Tessa turned around with a big smile on her face. "Oh, Will. You know, I was just about to look for you."

Will grinned. "Were you now?"

Tessa giggled and leaned towards him. "You wanna go somewhere more private?"

Will pulled back. "Tess, you okay?"

Tessa laughed. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Will leaned towards her. Her breath smelt strongly of alcohol. "You're drunk."

"Maybe a little," she held out two of her fingers, showing the space between them.

Will looked around before suggesting, "Lets get some air."

* * *

They sat quietly on the steps out on the terrace. Will was actually enjoying the comforting silence.

"So, Jem told me about what you said to Jessamine," Tessa spoke.

"Yeah," Will said.

"Thanks."

Will looked towards her. "What for?" he asked, puzzled.

Tessa stared back into his deep blue-violet eyes. "Having my back, I guess."

"Well," Will moved closer to her and put his arm around her shoulder. "That's what friends are for."

Tessa giggled but then she started taking short raspy breaths.

"Hey, you okay?" Will asked concerned.

"I feel dizzy," Tessa murmured and she closed her eyes.

Will placed the back of his hand on Tessa's forehead.

He frowned. "You're burning up," he said. "What did you drink?"

"Root beer."

"No. No, you're drunk," Will said, more worriedly now. "You had alcohol."

Tessa slowly shook her head. "I didn't drink. I don't drink anymore."

"Well then you're drink was obviously spiked."

"Tatiana," she murmured. "She gave me something. Said it would make my-my problems go away."

"A pill?!" Will asked angrily. "And you took it?"

"So many problems," she whispered as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

Just then Will noticed Jem walking towards them. "Jem!"

Jem walked over with a confused look at on face until his gaze landed on Tessa. "What's going on? Is she alright?"

Will helped Tessa back on her feet. She was struggling with keeping her balance.

"She's sick," Will told him. "She needs to get home."

"I don't wanna go home," Tessa whined.

Will ignored her as he handed Jem the keys to his car. "I'll go tell Cecy," he said.

"Cecily?" Tessa asked. "Is she with Gabriel?"

Jem held Tessa's arm to keep her steady. Will looked puzzled. "No, why would-"

"They were getting really cozy last night," she murmured. "Have been for a while now."

Will was shocked and had a dark look in his eyes. Jem seemed to realize this when he said, "William, don't-"

But Will was already gone, pushing his way through the crowd. That bloody Light_worm_ was going to regret ever laying a finger on Cecily once Will was through with him.

* * *

That's chapter 3. Thank you to everyone who reviewed my story. I'm going to try to get the next chapter up by next week, or if I'm lucky, sooner.

Once again, thanks.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"She hates me," Tessa complained.

She and Jem stood in the front of the line for breakfast the next morning. Tessa had trouble remembering any events from last night. Major hangovers come with major headaches and no memory of the previous night. And they're followed by an Advil pill. But she remembered telling Will about Cecily and Gabriel. Of all the things she regretted doing in her life, this was definitely near the top of her list.

"She doesn't hate you," Jem argued.

Tessa turned to look at him. "Oh, really? I tried talking to her back in our room this morning. She literally acted like I wasn't even there."

"Tessa, maybe-"

"No, Jem. Unless I am invisible, you have no evidence of anything other than what I just said," Tessa said. "Has Will said anything about last night?"

Jem sighed. "After he beat up Gabriel, he ranted on about how he couldn't have seen it before and all that. I haven't seen him this morning."

"Well then they all hate me," Tessa concluded. "All three of them- Will, Cecily, and Gabriel."

"You don't know that," said Jem.

"You know, I normally admire your optimism," Tessa said. "But not today."

Once they paid for lunch, the two of them made their way to their regular table.

"Tessa!" she heard Sophie call out.

Tessa turned in the direction of Sophie's voice where Sophie sat at another table with Gideon and Gabriel. Gideon seemed to be attempting to comfort his brother, who's face had a black eye and resembled a ten year old who's dog had run away. Sophie gestured for her to sit with them.

Tessa looked at Jem confused, then their gaze landed on Cecily and Will who sat alone at the group's regular table.

The whole cafeteria seemed to have gone silent, watching their situation with deep interest. It was like they had nothing better to do.

"Are you seeing this?" Tessa asked Jem disbelievingly. "This is ridiculous. They're splitting up. Choosing sides."

Jem sighed. "I find this all just as dumb as you do. But Will might as well be my brother. I've never gone against him. And I'm not starting now."

Jem lightly shoved past Tessa in Will and Cecily's direction.

Tessa was surprised at Jem's action. "Jem!" Tessa yelled frustrated. "You can't just pick sides! This isn't war!"

Jem mouthed the words _sorry. _Her eyes flickered over to Will's who looked at her expectantly, as if waiting for her to pick a side: His or Gabriel's.

Tessa looked back at Sophie, Gabriel, and Gideon who stared at her too. Then she looked back at Will.

She knew this whole thing was ridiculous. Was Will really going to go through with this? Why couldn't he just see that Gabriel and Cecily, his own sister, were miserable? Why couldn't he see that they actually care about each other? Tessa supposed his own anger was blinding him. There was probably nothing she could do about it anyway. Might as well choose the side of justice.

Finally, she took a deep breath, then made her way to Gabriel's table.

She didn't stop to notice that everyone stared at her with jaws dropped. Or that Will's eyes flared with anger. Or that Jem's eyes flashed with some amusement.

Tessa knew this wouldn't end well. And it was too late for her to back out.

* * *

"I've made it worse, haven't I?"

"Maybe," Jem replied.

Jem sat in front of his desk working on some algebra problems while Tessa laid on her back on his bed with a textbook in front of her.

"He was making me choose a side and I did," Tessa said. "So, I'm not exactly seeing what I did wrong."

"He was expecting to choose his side," Jem corrected.

Tessa sighed. "I've really screwed this up. I shouldn't have gone last night. Nothing good ever comes out of going to clubs."

"Well," Jem started, "I wouldn't exactly say that what happened last night was your fault. You were drunk, after all."

"I wasn't planning to get wasted," Tessa snapped then softened her voice. "I wasn't planning on drinking at all."

"Then why did you?"

"I didn't! I ordered a freaking root beer!" she cried. "I don't drink anymore, Jem. The only explanation would be that my drink was spiked."

"Who do you think would do that?" Jem asked curiously.

"I don't know," Tessa said. "I'd like to think I haven't done anything to anyone that'd make them hate me enough to drug me. I can remember Tatiana giving me a pill-"

"And you took it?! Why would you do that, Tessa? You know-"

"I was drunk," she reminded him.

Tessa could recall what Tatiana had said to her. She'd told her the pills would make her happy. Make her problems disappear. And Tessa was desperate enough to have taken the bait.

Jem sighed. "Well, it would make sense if Tatiana spiked your drink then gave you the pill. She knew you wouldn't take it otherwise."

"Does she really hate me that much?" Tessa actually felt a little hurt. What had she ever done to her? "I mean, I am friends with her brothers."

"Tatiana practically hates Gideon and Gabriel. She likes to think they're not in any way related," Jem explained. "They actually feel the same way. Well, Jessamine's obviously not too fond of you. She's friends with Tatiana. Who's to say Tatiana doesn't feel the same?"

Tessa paused, taking all that in before saying, "Why do you have to be so goddamn smart?"

She heard Jem chuckle.

"James, I need to talk to-"

Tessa immediately sat up. Will stood at the doorway and he seemed to have noticed Tessa's presence. Needless to say, he didn't look too thrilled.

"Hi," she said awkwardly.

He wouldn't meet her eyes. "I'll speak to you later-"

"Will," Jem interrupted. "Stop. Just talk to her."

"I don't have anything to say to her." The harshness in his voice made Tessa cringe a little.

"Just," Jem said. "Sit down and hear what she has to say."

Will sighed defeatedly. He then shut the door and went to sit on the edge of his own bed, across from Tessa.

Tessa took a deep breath. "Look, I'm sorry for not telling-"

"Forget it. The damage is done."

"-you sooner," Tessa finished.

"How long have you known, anyway?" Will asked.

"Two weeks," Tessa replied.

Will looked at her as if he couldn't believe his eyes. "I don't understand. Why didn't you tell me about this?!"

Tessa didn't respond so he continued. "And to make things even better," he said sarcastically, "You went along and chose his bloody side. Gosh, Tessa. I thought we were fr-"

"I'm sorry. Okay?" she cried then spoke more softer. "I'm sorry for not-"

"You know what?" he said as he rose to his feet, "I'm sorry too."

Tessa looked at him with a puzzled expression. "For what?"

"Trusting you." And just like that, he was gone with the wind.

* * *

Sophie stood beside Gideon in the hallway. She watched Cecily and Gabriel gaze at each other from across the hall longingly as they made their way to their next classes. Sophie pitied them. She'd always had a sneaking suspicion regarding their feelings for each other. She knew this would hurt them. Kind of like her unrequited feelings for Jem.

"You think they're ever gonna make up?" asked Sophie.

Gideon sighed. "I hope. Gabriel hasn't been this upset since... our mother passed away."

Sophie remembered Gideon mentioning his mother a few years back. How she'd passed away from cancer. She wouldn't know how devastated he'd felt back then. She'd never lost someone so close to her. And with any luck, she wouldn't have to. She turned to look at him with sad eyes. "Do you miss her?"

He nodded. "Sometimes. I just wish Will wouldn't be so stubborn about this."

Sophie chuckled. "Well, if there's anything Will Herondale is, it's stubborn."

"How's Tessa taking this?" he asked. "Since she's the one who sort of told him."

"It wasn't her fault," Sophie said defensively. This was her friend he was talking about. In just a couple weeks, she and Tessa had grown close. She'd never been so close with Cecily, so Sophie thought of Tessa as her sister. Her younger sister. Someone she could really depend on. And someone who'd be there when she needed them the most. "I know that Gabriel doesn't blame her. Cecily seems to, though. And Will no doubt will be talking to her anytime soon."

"Herondales," Gideon said with a crooked smile. "You gotta love 'em."

* * *

I know nothing major happened in this chapter. I've been behind on updating thanks to all my tests at school. I apologize for that. But despite all that, I'll still try my best to update sooner.

With that being said, thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited, or followed my story. You guys rock!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_And all the things that break you,_

_Are all the things that make you strong,_

_You cant change the past, cause it's gone,_

_And you just gotta move on, _

_Because it's all lessons learned._

_-Carrie Underwood_

_(Lessons Learned)_

Disclaimer: I dont own the song or the characters

* * *

Will strolled along the cobblestone streets of London. The wind was slightly chilly but other than that, the weather was quite pleasant. Will kept his hands warm in his coat's pockets.

He entered the coffee shop where Jem said to meet him. As he stood in line to order, he noticed a couple of girls glancing at him, whispering to each other. He had never minded the attention he received from girls around him. He actually enjoyed it. But right then, for some reason, it irritated him. Couldn't they just mind their own business?

"Thank you," he heard the girl in front of him say to the cashier. He was reminded of Tessa all of a sudden. She had an American accent too. May be Will was going a little crazy because the girl's voice sounded an awful lot like Tessa's too: sweet and musical.

But as soon as she turned around, there was no mistaking that she wasn't Tessa. He'd recognize those eyes anywhere. Her gray eyes reminded him of the seas back in Wales. He felt a little homesick all of a sudden.

Tessa's smile faltered when she saw him. "What are you doing here?"

"Me?" he asked quizzically. "I could ask the same about you."

"By the angel, what are you two doing here?"

Will spun around to see Cecily staring at him with confusion. "Cecy?"

"What a coincidence," Cecily said. "All of us meeting here."

"Nope," Tessa shook her head with a slight smile. "I think this was no coincidence."

"What do you mean?" Will asked.

"She's right, William."

Seriously, Will thought. How many more surprises were awaiting him?

"I asked you all to meet me here," Jem said, a hint of pride was present in his voice. "And here you are."

"I've got to say," Tessa said. "Well played, James." Will sensed the approval in her tone. But he thought there was nothing to approve of.

Jem smiled slightly. "Well now that everyone's here, lets start the party."

* * *

They sat around a table by the window. Will was fascinated by the different swirls in his coffee. They seemed to dance around as he moved the cup. No one had said a word after they'd ordered their drinks and settled down. Will, having had enough of the awkward silence, decided to break it.

"What is the point of this?" Will asked Jem.

Jem sighed. "You guys need to work this out. And no one is leaving this coffee shop until everything's okay again."

Will scoffed. "What makes you think everything's going to be okay again?"

"Gee, Will," Tessa said. "Have a little faith."

Will glared at her. "This wouldn't have even happened if it wasn't for you."

Tessa's jaw dropped and Will immediately regretted saying that. "My fault?!" she cried. "So you're saying you would've been okay with Cecily and Gabriel sneaking around behind your back?"

"We had no choice!" Cecily said. "I knew Will would be like this if he ever found out."

"You're damn right I would've."

Cecily looked at him with pleading eyes. "Why are you being like this?"

Will sighed. "Cecily, it's my job to protect you-"

"Protect me from what!? Gabriel?!"

"Yes, Gabriel!" he shouted in frustration. "You may think you know everything about him! But you don't! He's doing this to get back at me."

"Why would he need to get back at you? What did you do to him?" Tessa asked.

"It's not what I did to him." Will smirked. "It's what I did to his sister."

Tessa raised an eyebrow. "What did you to her?"

"So many questions, Tessa. Well, I was at this Christmas ball when I was twelve and Tatiana would follow me around everywhere, smiling and giggling. She claimed she was completely and utterly in love with me. You know how that is when you're twelve."

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Yes, of course we know," she said sarcastically.

Will ignored this and continued with his story. "Well anyway, I found her diary at the ball. She must have dropped it or something. She'd written Tatiana Herondale all over it. And it was full of poems about me."

"What a nightmare."

"Please save your comments for the end, Tessa. So I did what I had to do. I got up on stage and read one of the poems. Can you believe she rhymed 'William' with 'million'? It was dreadful. So after Tatiana burst into tears and ran out, Gabriel attempted to attack me. That was when I broke his arm."

"Really?" Tessa said. "You broke a heart and an arm that night?"

"I already know about this Will," Cecily said. "Gabriel told me-"

"Then you should know he's only doing this to get back at me for embarrassing him that night. He thinks it'd be funny to mess with my sister after what I did to his."

"Will," Jem stepped in. "You don't know that. Gabriel might actually care for Cecily."

Will shook his head. "The only person Gabriel Lightwood cares about is himself."

Tessa cleared her throat before speaking. "You know Gabriel was sort of just doing what you're doing now."

Will turned to her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean he was just looking out for his sister, the way you're looking out for Cecily."

Will thought about that for a while and then realized that Tessa was probably right. Not everything is as it seems. Although he'd hate to mention it out loud, but may be Gabriel actually cared about someone else other than himself. May be he cared about Cecily.

"Please, Will," Cecily said. "Just give him a chance. He'll surprise you."

Will hesitated then looked to Tessa. "They actually care about each other?"

When Tessa nodded, he said to Cecily, "I'll give him a chance. For you."

Cecily let out a deep breath that she seemed to have been holding throughout the entire conversation. "Thank you."

Jem patted Will on the back and Tessa gave Cecily a side hug. "You did the right thing, Will," Jem said.

"I hope I did."

* * *

"So let me get this straight," said Tessa. "You don't like A Tale of Two Cities?"

"It's silly," Will said. "Men getting their heads chopped off for love."

Tessa turned to Jem who sat beside her. "Are you hearing this?" she asked while pointing to Will. "He's being ridiculous."

"I am being realistic," Will chimed.

"That's it. I can't talk to you anymore."

"Are you being serious?" he asked with an amused smile on his face.

"I've never been more serious in my life."

"Are you guys are done acting like kids?" Cecily said.

"We are not acting like kids!" Will and Tessa yelled in unison.

"You are such a bitch!" a high-pitched girl's voice screamed.

They-Tessa, Will, Jem, Cecily, Sophie, Gideon, and Gabriel- turned towards the source of the screaming. Jessamine had just entered the cafeteria with Tatiana trailing close behind. She didn't seem too happy by the looks of it.

"You kissed him when you knew we were seeing each other!" Tatiana screamed.

"I don't know what you're talking about." said Jessamine.

Tatiana scowled. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You had your tongue shoved down his throat!"

By then, everyone having dinner at the cafeteria was watching this spectacular display of drama.

"What?!" Jessamine yelled. "He kissed me!"

Tatiana shook her head. "He warned me you'd say that."

Jessamine stared at her disbelievingly. "You don't believe me," she said. "You're choosing that bastard over your best friend!"

Tatiana smiled coldly. "You're not my best friend." She stepped over towards a table and picked up a plate of spaghetti.

"May be this'll teach you not to mess with me." Then she poured the contents of the plate all over Jessamine's white school shirt.

Part of the cafeteria erupted in laughter while part of it gasped in shock.

Jessamine glared at her and ran out leaving a satisfied Tatiana standing where she stood.

"What a bitch," the words left Sophie's mouth before she could stop them.

Tessa couldn't help but agree. She couldn't stand bullies like her. Hurting others to feel better about themselves. It didn't get more pathetic than that. She immediately rose from her seat. No one stopped her from storming over to Tatiana.

"What is your problem?" she demanded.

"My problem?"

"You do that to all your friends?" Tessa asked. "No wonder you don't have many."

The room went into a deafening silence. Tessa swore she could hear a pin drop.

Tatiana's face hardened. "That's rich coming from you, considering what you did to your best friend."

Tessa stood speechless. She couldn't know, could she? She'd worked so hard to keep that secret, all to have the Queen of Bitches learn it.

Tatiana raised her arm towards the crowd. "They should know! Little miss perfect isn't so perfect after all!"

Tessa shook her head. "You are such a bitch," she said quietly.

"And you are a whore."

"Hey!" Jem yelled. "Leave her alone, Tatiana." Tessa was a little surprised. She'd never seen Jem angry. He stood beside her now.

Tatiana turned to Tessa. "You haven't told him. Any of them."

Tatiana smiled darkly before leaping on to one of the tables. "Listen up, every body!"

Tessa shook her head slowly. Please don't do this, she thought.

"Everyone knows Tessa over here, right? The so called perfect American girl!" Tatiana yelled. Everyone nodded and some wolf whistles were heard. Tatiana rolled her eyes and went on. "Well, you'd be surprised to hear the real reason Tessa moved to London!"

She was going to say it. Tessa knew there was no stopping her now. Karma's definitely a bitch. She understood that now more than ever.

"She slept with her best friend's boyfriend!"

Gasps rose through the room. The air had just gotten heavier and Tessa felt as if the room was closing in on her.

"And she left right after that!" Tatiana screamed with a satisfied smile on her face. "Better hide your boys, ladies. This one's a handful."

Tessa's eyes flickered over to her friends. "Shut up, Tatiana!" Sophie shouted. "Everything that comes out of your mouth is a lie!"

Tatiana scowled at her. "Really? Why don't you ask her?"

"It's not true," Sophie said to Tessa, her voice wavering slightly. "Is it?"

Tessa noticed the hopeful glint in Sophie's eyes and opened her mouth to reply but her voice seemed to have failed her. She didn't stick around to see Sophie's reaction. She didn't stick around to see anything else.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_Now we got problems  
And I don't think we can solve them  
You made a really deep cut  
And, baby, now we got bad blood_

_-Taylor Swift_

_(Bad Blood)_

When Tessa checked her phone last night, she'd received many missed calls and text messages from Sophie, Cecily, Will, and Jem. But she hadn't bothered replying. She had no clue what to say to them anyway. There wasn't much to say, though. They heard the truth. The damage was done.

So Tessa woke up early enough to make sure Cecily was still asleep. She had called the Institute's hospital wing to notify them that she was feeling ill and couldn't make it to class. She wouldn't go to class that day, that was for sure. But she wasn't going to lie around in bed sick. Partly because she wasn't really sick.

Tessa closed the door of her room behind her when someone said, "Tessa."

Tessa jumped slightly in her spot out of shock. She spun around. "Jessamine?"

Jessamine wasn't wearing her uniform and her blonde hair was tied back in a French braid. She smiled sheepishly at Tessa.

"What are you doing here?" Tessa asked.

"My room's just down the hall. What are _you_ doing?"

Tessa plastered on a fake smile. "Just going for a walk."

Jessamine frowned. "I heard about what happened last night. After I left."

Tessa walked past her. She wasn't in the mood of being called a whore or anything else.

"Wait!"

Tessa paused then turned around slowly. "Look," Jessamine said, "I just wanted to thank you, for sticking up for me. Even after what I did to you."

Tessa shrugged. "Don't mention it."

"Tatiana was always a bitch," she went on. "I shouldn't have stuck around with her."

"Why did you?"

"I don't know. I lost my family in a fire,and I really needed someone there for me. And she was. I'd actually thought maybe we were friends. But I was wrong. She used me to climb up the social ladder. And when she got to the top, she threw me over."

Tessa stayed silent for a while. "If it makes you feel any better, mine died in a car accident when I was three."

Jessamine's eyes were glassy. "I guess we have something in common. I'm sorry for reading your journal-"

"Forget about it."

"No," she said. "I can't. If it wasn't me and my stupid jealousy, I wouldn't have read it. And Tatiana would never have known. And neither would anyone else."

"Doesn't matter. I mean, it's done. What's past is past."

"How is this so easy for you?"

Tessa was confused. "What's easy for me?"

"Letting go of things," Jessamine said. "Moving on."

"Forgive and forget?" Tessa tried, but Jessamine didn't smile. Tessa sighed. "I guess, I see no point in it. Holding on to anger is like drinking poison, and expecting the other person to die, you know."

"I guess that makes sense."

"Tatiana is a bitch," Tessa agreed. "She likes making other people feel bad or look bad just so she can feel better. I just witnessed that last night after what she did to you. And then to me. She got what she wanted. We're both now embarrassed and hurt. So I don't really see a reason to forgive her for anything. And I don't think you do either."

Jessamine nodded. "Yeah. I'm done with her. I'm done working out our issues. We are now straight out enemies. I hate her. We can hate her together."

Tessa smiled slightly, when Jessamine said, "Are you doing anything? Right now?"

"Why?" she asked curiously.

"Well, as you can see, I'm not planning on showing up in class today. And I'm pretty sure you were planning the same thing."

Tessa thought about it then grinned. "What did you have in mind?"

* * *

"She wasn't there," said Sophie. She'd searched the auditorium and gymnasium for Tessa but she had no luck. After Tessa left the night before, Sophie assumed she needed space so she didn't go looking for her. But no one had seen Tessa since last night and she wasn't in any of her classes so Sophie made her own responsibility to find her friend.

"She wasn't in the library either," Will pointed out.

"Where do you think she is?" Cecily asked worriedly. "She wasn't in our room this morning. No note or anything."

Jem and Gideon approached the three just then. "Well, we didn't find her either," Jem said. "And she's not answering any of my calls."

"Where's Gabriel?" Sophie asked.

"He went to search outside," Gideon replied.

"I'm worried," Sophie concluded.

"Me too," Cecily agreed. "What if she went out last night and got kidnapped?"

"Cecily," Will said and rolled his eyes. "She wasn't kidnapped. And I'm pretty sure she can handle herself."

"Do you think it was true?" Sophie asked suddenly. "What Tatiana said."

Cecily frowned and shrugged. "It must've been since she fled right after that."

Jem shook his head. "There must be some other side to this story. I don't believe Tessa would do something like that on purpose."

"Well there's only one way to find out," Will said, "but first we need to find her."

"And how do you suppose we do that?"

"Oh, there you are," said another voice.

Mrs. Branwell stood in front of the group. There was someone standing behind her but Sophie couldn't make out who it was. "I was looking for you."

"What's going on Mrs. Branwell?"

Mrs. Branwell seemed a little amused sensing the worry in Cecily's voice. "It's not bad news, Cecily."

Sophie noticed Cecily's features soften a bit. She could really use some good news right about then.

"I'd like you to show our new student around. He starts classes tomorrow."

That's when the person behind Mrs. Branwell stepped ahead. He was tall and had dark hair, and eyes like the night sky and very pale skin. He was handsome, Sophie thought, and seemed to have a permanent smirk etched in to his face that said _I know something you don't_.

"Hi," Cecily said with a bright smile. She was so perky with everyone. "I'm Cecily." She extended her hand for him to shake.

He smirked. "Verlac. Sebastian Varlac." He shook her hand.

Sophie noticed Will tense out of the corner of her eye. "We'll make sure he settles right in, Mrs. Branwell. Have you by any chance seen Tessa?"

Mrs. Branwell looked confused. "She was feeling ill. She should be in bed, but you'd know that."

"Right, of course," Sophie said as Mrs. Branwell walked away.

"So," Sebastian started, "What are you guys up to?"

"We're actually looking for a friend," Jem replied. "You could help us."

"Actually, we're doing just fine looking for her on-"

"You know," Sophie interrupted Will, "that's not a bad idea. We still need to look around town. We could use more eyes."

Will seemed irritated. "Fine."

* * *

They had just exited the building, when Gabriel ran up to them, panting and out of breath.

"You look like you just ran a marathon," Gideon pointed out.

Gabriel glared at his brother. "I found her."

"Well, where is she?" Sophie demanded.

"Bleachers."

Sophie broke out into a run towards the field and when she reached there, she stopped in her tracks. Tessa was walking with steady balance on the bleachers while Jessamine walked along by her side on the grass. They seemed to be having a nice conversation.

"What the hell?" Will muttered.

I know right, Sophie thought. Sophie charged up the field towards the unusual pairing. She slowed her pace and said, "Tessa."

She turned and Sophie saw a bright smile spread across her face. "Sophie," she said. Her eyes quickly passed over everyone else. "I see you've brought the whole gang."

It was strange, Sophie thought. Tessa was actually smiling and laughing. Actual _laughage_. With Jessamine beside her. What has this world come to?

Tessa stepped off the bleachers towards them. "What's up?"

"'What's up?'" Will demanded. "You disappear off in the middle of the night, no one's seen you all morning, and all you have to say is, _What's up_?"

Tessa was quiet before a slight smile wavered across her face. "Nice to see you care."

Will huffed. "You could've been kidnapped."

Tessa smiled and Cecily muttered, "Doesn't sound so ridiculous now, does it?"

"I'm fine. I actually had a pretty nice day," Tessa said."We went to this frozen yoghurt place and I spilled my yoghurt all over this one cute guy. It was so embarrassing. And then she," she said, giggling and pointing at Jessamine, who was laughing with her, "she saved me then got me the guy's number. I mean, how ridiculous is that?"

"Sounds great," Will said, not really caring and rolling his eyes. "But what is up with this? Since when were you two besties?"

Sophie had to agree. It was weird. They were acting like they've known each other for years. And Sophie assumed they hated each other after the whole Will and Jessamine break up.

"And more importantly," Cecily added, "Where were you last night, Tessa? And this morning-"

"_Tessa?"_

Tessa's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion before she noticed Sebastian for the first time.

She made a sound that was like a quiet stangled gasp. Sophie would've been surprised if anyone else even heard it.

A look of recognition flashed in Tessa's gray eyes as the boy with the dark eyes smiled knowingly at her.

Tessa breathed out. "Sebastian."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_And you cry but you don't tell anyone_

_that you might not be the golden one_

_and you're tied together with a smile _

_but you're coming undone._

_-Taylor Swift_

_(Tied Together With A Smile)_

Tessa couldn't believe it. Sebastian was there. In London. In front of her. She didn't want her new life and her past to collide. That would just cause a mess everywhere. And she was tired of trying to clean up messes. But now it was really happening. And there was nothing she could do about it.

"You two know each other?"

"Yeah," Sebastian said. "Back in Manhattan."

Great, Tessa thought. Sebastian practically knows her life story. He might as well tell it to everyone.

"What, are you guys ex lovers or something?" Gabriel joked.

"No!" Tessa exclaimed, the same time Sebastian said "May be."

"We were friends," he admitted.

"More like acquaintances," Tessa corrected.

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Well, Tessa here would never give me the time of day-"

"You're not my type."

"You know, you haven't changed one bit."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Okay!" Cecily yelled, breaking up the argument before it became serious.

"What are you even doing here?" Tessa asked Sebastian.

"He goes to the Institute now," Will answered for him. "But you'd know that, if you were actually here."

Tessa understood that Will was still angry by the slight harshness in his voice. She really didn't want anyone to be angry because of her. Or even at her. Tessa sighed. "Look, I'm sorry for that. But can we just forget about it?"

"No, we cannot forget about-"

"Will," Cecily said with an edge to her voice. "Tessa, do you want to tell us about last night?"

"Actually, no, not really."

"Tessa."

"Okay fine," she said. She took a deep breath. "Everything you heard last night is true. But it's not what you think. I-I didn't mean for it to happen, it just did."

"What do you mean?" Sophie asked.

"I-I-" Tessa struggled with her words. She wasn't sure how to explain that night. She didn't know how she was going to make it sound the least awful. Her eyes found Sebastian's and he understood.

Sebastian walked to Tessa and put his arm around her shoulder. "Tessa hasn't shown me her room yet," he told everyone else. And then he guided her away from them towards the building.

* * *

"What do you know about this?" Will demanded from Jessamine after Tessa and Sebastian left.

Jessamine looked taken aback. "About what?"

"Last night. This morning," he said then gestured in the direction Sebastian left, "_Him_."

"I don't anything about him," she said stiffly. "And as for last night, you can ask Tessa."

"We just did," Gabriel said. "She didn't have much to say."

"What makes you think I know anything?"

"Jessamine," Sophie said harshly. "Seriously. Tell us."

Jessamine sighed. "I only know what I read."

Tension filled the air, since they all knew about Jessamine reading Tessa'a private journal. "And what did you read?" Jem pressed on.

"She was drunk the night it happened. When she slept with him," she explained. "And she freaked out after it happened. He was her best friend's boyfriend, after all. And she came here after that."

"Why was she drunk?" Gideon asked. "She doesn't strike me as someone who parties and gets wasted every night."

"You'd be surprised," Jessamine said quietly. "She had a hard past, okay?"

"We've all had hard pasts-"

"Her aunt had just passed away," Jessamine interrupted. "And her brother was part of the reason why she died."

There was a moment of silence as everyone took in that information. "She lost the only family she had left. So yeah, she got wasted. I don't even blame her. And he was there with her. They were both under the influence of alcohol."

"I didn't know that," Cecily said quietly.

"Why do you think she didn't say anything?" Jessamine asked bitterly and rhetorically. "She didn't want your pity. Or your insults. Or anything else. I know how it feels like to be judged for something that wasn't what it seemed. So, congrats, you know the truth now."

And with that, she was gone.

* * *

"What are you really doing here?" Tessa asked Sebastian quietly.

He shrugged. "Dad's job."

Tessa nodded in understanding. "How is he?"

"How he always is," he said bitterly.

They walked together down the halls silently. Tessa remembered times like that. When she and Sebastian actually used to be close. But then he was always in and out of Manhattan because of his father's job.

"So are you gonna tell me what everyone was talking about?"

"You already know."

He turned to her quizzically. "I know a lot about you. You're going to have to be more specific."

Tessa sighed and covered her face with her hands. "Jace."

His expression darkened. "Oh."

"Yeah oh," she said. "Does Clary know?"

"Not that I know of."

"Good."

"She'll find out eventually," he said. "And it'll hurt her like hell, even more knowing that her best friend didn't have the decency to tell her herself."

"I know," Tessa said miserably.

"You know Jace isn't going to tell her. It needs to be you."

"She'll never speak to me again."

"Maybe. Maybe not. I guess there's only one way to find out."

The corners of Tessa's mouth twitched. "You always know how to make me feel better."

He smirked. "It's one of the many things that make me amazing."

They walked past some other people when Tessa heard someone say, "_Whore_."

She tensed all of a sudden and Sebastian glared at the source of the voice. "Ignore them," he told her.

She nodded. "_Slut_," someone else said.

"I can't do this," Tessa whispered and then turned to leave but Sebastian gripped her arm.

"What is your problem?" Sebastian demanded from the boy who had called Tessa a slut. She recalled his name being Marcus. "Can you just leave us alone?"

Marcus looked to Tessa. "Is this another guy you're sleeping with? I guess you're fully booked for the day, huh?"

Tessa felt her face burn as Mark's laughter grew louder. Sebastian lifted his fist and swung at Marcus.

"Sebastian!" Tessa exclaimed. She attempted to pull him off the boy with the now bruised lip. "Hey, break it up! Sebastian-"

All of a sudden, Marcus's fist went flying at Sebastian. That was it, Tessa thought. He wasn't getting away with that.

With her fury now running through her veins, Tessa leaped on to Marcus's back, punching and hitting at him. Then Tessa felt her head hit the cold hard ground as the two boys went on fighting. She rose to her feet, trying not to collapse because of the blurriness of her vision and her dizziness.

Tessa felt strong arms dragging her out of the chaos. "Hey, you okay?"

Tessa's eyes met violet blue ones. "Yeah," she assured Will. "I'm fine."

He looked uncertain but then proceeded to finishing the task Tessa had failed to do.

* * *

Tessa forgot how she ended up in Principal Branwell's office. She held an ice pack to the side of her head and sat beside Marcus, Sebastian, and Will. Although, Marcus seemed to have gotten the worst of the fight.

"How did this happen?" Mrs Branwell demanded angrily.

Marcus, Will, and Sebastian all erupted into their own stories.

"Hey!" Mrs Branwell shouted. Tessa didn't think she'd ever seen Mrs Branwell as angry as she was now. "I want the truth. Now."

"I was just walking down the halls when this psychopath over here punched me," Marcus said.

"Oh, really? That is the stupidest excuse I've ever heard," Sebastian said. "The actual story is that this idiot, who is an awful liar by the way, was verbally abusing Tessa."

Mrs Branwell turned to Tessa, worriedly. "Is this true?"

Tessa sighed. "Yes. Maybe. Sort of."

"Sebastian, I know you are new here so I'm not going to bring your parents into this-"

"Parent, actually," Sebastian corrected. "And my dad probably won't care anyway. Punish me or whatever."

Tessa turned to him with sad eyes. "This whole thing was my fault. Don't punish him. Or Will," she added. "He was just trying to help."

Mrs Branwell was silent for a moment and Tessa thought this was it. She was going to be expelled. Or worse, forced to clean the gum from under the bleachers in the gym.

"I'm very disappointed in all four of you," she said. "We do not tolerate any kind of abuse at the Institute. And violence is never the answer. You all should know that. With that being said, I better not see this happening again. And I'll be seeing all of you in detention tomorrow after school. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Mrs Branwell," the four said in unison and they all silently exited the office.

"Why would you do that?"

Sebastian look right at Tessa and said, "I was just trying to help you."

"By hitting him?" Tessa said. "You know I hate violence. And you know your dad won't be happy about this-"

"My dad," he started, "has never once cared about where I am or what I do. Why should this time be any different?" Then his facial expression changed, and Tessa remembered why they got along so well. They were both broken. "He doesn't care about me," he whispered. "He doesn't care about anyone."

After he walked away Tessa realized that Will was still standing next to her. "Thanks," she said, not meeting his eyes. "For trying to help."

He sighed heavily. "Tessa, that guy is bad news. You shouldn't be-"

Tessa turned to him disbelievingly. "Excuse me? You don't know the first thing about him-"

"I know he likes to go around and pick fights. In fact, I just witnessed it firsthand. He's nothing but trouble."

She shook her head angrily. "He was just defending me. The whole thing was my fault anyway. And you have no right to say that about him. He is my friend. If you're not ready to accept him, then maybe we shouldn't be friends."

His eyes widened. "Tess, I'm just looking out for you."

"Really?" she said. "Doesn't seem like it?"

"Why do you care so much about him?" Will asked all of a sudden.

"_He_ is my friend, okay?" Tessa said. "I've always been there for him and I'm not stopping now."

Tessa couldn't make out the expression he wore on his face. Frustration. Annoyance. Anger. Jealousy?

"We're a package deal," she said quietly. "If you and I are going to be friends, you need to accept him."

"What if I don't want to be friends?" he cried.

Tessa stumbled back. "I didn't think you hated me that much."

He smiled coldly and he resembled a dark angel. Beautiful, but cold. "You don't get it, do you? Doesn't matter."

Tessa was confused but didn't press on. "It's all or nothing, Will."

When he didn't say anything, Tessa felt an ache in her heart. She couldn't believe he was doing this to her. She thought they were friends. And she would never admit it, but Will was one of her closest friends and favourite people at the Institute. She thought friends were supposed to be loyal. Friends were supposed to make sacrifices for each other. Maybe she was wrong or maybe her expectations were too high for this world.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "I'll see you in detention, then."

She brushed past him and heard him say her name, but she wasn't in the mood to hear what he had to say.


End file.
